History of Flight
On April 3, 2011, at approximately 0715 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-28RT-201, registration N355LC, collided with terrain near Cherry Valley, California. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under 14 CFR Part 91 for a cross-country personal flight. The flight departed Banning, California, at an undetermined time with a planned destination of Redlands, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the nearest official weather reporting station, and no flight plan was filed.
Witnesses near the accident site reported hearing the airplane at low altitude but could not see it due to low clouds. They reported visibility of 1 mile or less in fog or heavy mist, with clouds touching the tops of ridgelines in hilly terrain. The engine sounded normal, and the sound remained steady until it abruptly stopped. One witness less than 1 mile away heard a heavy impact and the engine stop but did not see a fireball due to mountains blocking her view. Another witness about 4 miles away observed a fireball when the engine sounds stopped.
Radar data from March Air Force Base (RIV) provided by the FAA accident coordinator showed the first target associated with the accident airplane at 0707 PDT, 13 miles northeast of RIV at 3,300 feet mean sea level (msl) in the Banning Pass area, traveling west-northwest. Between 0707 and 0714, the target made multiple tight right and left turns, with mode C altitude varying from 3,900 to 2,500 feet msl. At 0714:03, the target made a tight right turn at 3,700 feet msl, descending to 3,500 feet at 0714:08 and 3,200 feet at 0714:12. Mode C altitude became unavailable and the secondary beacon code dropped at 0714:19. Radar contact was lost at 0714:23 near 33° 58.88’ N, 117° 00.45’ W, with an approximate heading of 010-030 degrees.
Personnel Information
The pilot, aged 81, held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and multiengine land. He possessed a third-class medical certificate issued March 23, 2010, requiring corrective lenses for near and distant vision. He attained his multiengine rating on February 18, 2010. No personal flight records were located; the pilot reported a total time of 2,100 hours on his medical application.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was a Piper PA-28RT-201, serial number 28R-8118035. Total airframe time at the last annual inspection (January 1, 2011) was 3,514 hours. The engine was a Lycoming IO-360-C1C6, serial number RL-9435-51A, with 3,443.1 hours total time and 86.6 hours since major overhaul at the last annual inspection.
Meteorological Information
The closest official weather observation station was March Air Force Base (KRIV), 15 nautical miles southwest of the accident site, elevation 1,536 feet msl. A METAR issued at 0655 PDT reported wind calm, visibility 10 miles, sky 1,800 feet overcast, temperature 12°C (54°F), dew point 11°C (52°F), altimeter 29.98 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was in foothills of mountainous terrain. The debris field was on a north-south ridge rising toward an east-west primary ridgeline with a road. The main debris field extended downhill on the west slope. A portion of the right wing with part of the aileron, the remainder of the right aileron, and the aileron balance weight were on the ridge crest left of the debris path centerline.
The first identified point of contact (FIPC) was a ground scar a few inches wide, expanding to about 1 foot over 20 feet, ending at the principal impact crater (PIC). The PIC was about 20 feet long and 10 feet wide. One propeller blade separated and was in the center of the PIC; the blade bent aft at the fracture point, with an angular and jagged fracture surface and a shear lip. The debris path continued slightly downslope, with the main wreckage coming to rest about 180 feet from the FIPC. Both flaps separated and were midway in the debris field.
The main wreckage consisted of the engine, fuselage, left wing, and empennage. The cabin was severely damaged, twisted, fragmented, and partially consumed by fire. It came to rest at 33° 58.60’ N, 117° 00.63’ W, estimated elevation 2,800 feet. The engine separated from the airframe but remained in its relative position upright. All control surfaces were identified at the site.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Riverside County Coroner conducted an autopsy and ruled the cause of death as multiple blunt impact injuries. The FAA Forensic Toxicology Research Team performed toxicological testing on pilot specimens, finding no volatiles or tested drugs. Tests for carbon monoxide or cyanide were not performed.
Tests and Research
Investigators from the FAA, Lycoming, and Piper examined the wreckage on April 7, 2011, at Aircraft Recovery Service, Littlerock, California. No mechanical anomalies with the airframe or engine were identified that would have precluded normal operation. The fuel selector valve was not identified. Cockpit flight controls sustained multiple disconnects with jagged, angular, or broomstraw fracture surfaces. The left wing had aft accordion crush damage to the spar, bent aft about midspan. The outboard 8 feet of the right wing and a 4-foot section of the right aileron separated; the right wing tip had aft crush damage. The flap cable remained attached to the flap handle, but flap position could not be determined. Elevator trim measured three threads, equating to a neutral position per the Piper investigator.
Engine examination: spark plugs were clean with no mechanical deformation; electrodes were circular and gray, indicating normal operation per Champion Aviation Check-A-Plug AV-27 Chart. Borescope inspection showed no mechanical deformation on valves, cylinder walls, or internal cylinder head, with no evidence of detonation or foreign object ingestion. The crankshaft rotated freely, valves moved approximately the same amount of lift in firing order, accessory case gears turned freely, and thumb compression was obtained in proper firing order on all cylinders.